Local drama group stages production of ‘Frozen Jr.’
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IDAHO FALLS – You can catch a play based on the popular Disney movie “Frozen” this weekend. It stars and is produced by members of Alturas International Academy Drama Club, under the direction of a team of parent volunteers.
“Frozen Jr.” will feature students ranging in age from kindergarten to eighth grade. Some characters, such as Anna, are played by multiple students. Taneil Serr, the play’s director, told EastIdahoNews.com it is the culmination of months of hard work for the cast and crew.
“We have about 80 kids in our production,” said Serr. “We start in the summer, but September is when we have our auditions, so it’s like six months of work.”
Serr said that much of “Frozen Jr.” is derived from the Broadway musical version of the film. A few scenes and songs have been added while others have been dropped to make it more workable as a stage play.
“We were looking for a play that would help 80 kids be involved all the time,” she said. “(‘Frozen Jr.’) is just a really great play that keeps everybody involved. Because we work on it for six months and we don’t want anybody sitting.”
“Frozen Jr.” is the second play staged by the Alturas International Academy Drama Club, which is in its second year of existence. The club meets on Fridays, an off-day for Alturas students, so as not to burn up valuable class time that could be dedicated to other subjects of study. It was started by parents of Alturas students to give the school a way to offer theater arts to the kids.
“The school is pretty new and we just didn’t see any theater or music (curriculum), so some of the parents who love theater were like, ‘Let’s start a theater program of our own.’ Our principal was very supportive of that,” Serr said. “What’s cool is that none of the parents are paid, so it really excites creativity because everyone is just doing it because they love it rather than because it’s a job.”
Serr is excited for the public to see the results of the club’s creativity and work and hopes audiences will be able to understand how much effort the kids have put into this play.
“Some of the kids in auditions were so scared, and they could hardly give us a note,” Serr said. “Now they’re really confident with their parts, and they’re so excited. I wish everyone could see that, but I know they’ll be happy with the end result.
“This is not regular elementary school production,” she added. “We have a lot of props and sets, even a transformation dress. I think you could bring your grandkids or your kids and they’ll be highly entertained. It’s going to be a great show.”
You can catch the Alturas International Academy Drama Club’s production of “Frozen Jr.” in the Thunder Ridge High School auditorium on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. or Saturday, Feb. 29, at 1 p.m. at 7 p.m. Admission is $3 per person.
